SUNDANCE CINEMAS IN L.A. TAKES A NIGHT AT MOVIES UPSCALE

LOS ANGELES 
The dream of a year-round Sundance Film Festival in L.A. is about to come true.

Kind of, anyway. Sundance Cinemas, the Westlake Village-based theatrical exhibition arm of Robert Redford’s independent movie and lifestyle empire, will move into the Sunset 5 space formerly operated by the Laemmle chain at the end of the month.

The West Hollywood venue at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights has undergone a $2 million makeover that includes a larger lobby space, improved outside patio area and a new upstairs lounge (decked-out with cushy leather chairs and couches from the Sundance Catalog). It also features a gallery that will display work by local artists and what they’re calling the “Bar Bar”: a traditional theater concession stand that also serves beer and wine and what Sundance Cinemas President and CEO Paul Richardson calls “upscale bar food” like pizza and panini.

Most crucially, though, the five auditoriums once notorious for cramped seating and neck-cramping sightlines have been revamped into comfortable, roomy-feeling environments. There are 630 plush, rocking stadium seats pleasantly upholstered in wool, with tablettes for plates of food between each set of two. Compare that with the 1,000 smaller seats that were previously crammed into the venue.

Throw in free Internet ticketing and reserved seating and, well, it doesn’t sound a whole lot different from what you can find at the newer, upscale complexes run by such indie outfits as Laemmle, Landmark and, to a lesser indie extent, ArcLight.

“It’s definitely a trend in the industry now,” explained Agata Kaczanowska, theater industry analyst for IBSWorld, an independent market research firm. “Everyone from AMC and Cinemark to new entrants are focusing on building luxury cinemas and doing what Sundance is doing in this location, which is cutting down the number of seats, providing alcohol service and a higher degree of food availability.”

Weekend evening adult tickets at the new Sundance top out at $15 with amenity fees.

A series of special events, some of which are still open to the public, will begin at the new Sundance Sunset on Aug. 27, with the theater’s grand opening scheduled for Aug. 31.